I recently purchased my saturn and replaced the brake pads and rotors it was fine then after 200 miles the brakes started grinding then would stop. Checked the calipers they were fine had to replace the rotors again due to the grinding brakes were fine. 2 weeks later same thing then stopped it starts and stops grinding when it wants.
Saturn SL grinding brakes problems
25 of the 2,211 owner complaints about the Saturn SL describe grinding or squealing brakes, most of them for the 1996 model year.
- owner complaints
- 25
- worst model year
- 1996
- typical mileage
- 37,100
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
ABS 3Harsh shifting 2Brake failure 2Transmission failure 1Stalling 1Overheating 1Loss of power 1
Trouble codes mentioned
P1599 2P0732 2P0300 2
What owners say
I was turning onto a street that was down to one lane due to construction. The woman who let me turn onto the street "heard tires squealing" and thought I was speeding up (though I was not moving due to traffic inching forward slowly) and she hit the gas to speed up. She rear-ended me so hard that even though my foot was on the brake, I hit the guy in front of me and at the same time my seat back fell backward onto the back seat (reclining position). When the seat reclined, it made it tricky to reach the brake, clutch or accelerator so I had to throw on the emergency brake to prevent any further bumper cars! The seat now seems to be "stripped" and the slightest pressure makes it go "click click click" back to a reclining position. I am waiting for the part to come in to fix it but that accident could have been much worse if I did not have my head about me and hadn't been able to get the emergency brake on.
Reverse gear had been acting funny (not going into reverse and allowing the car to slide forward before grabbing). Grinding sound was noted, took car into aaa approved facility, they could not find anything wrong. Finally reverse gear just quit (as I was trying to parallel park) and "service engine soon" light came on. This whole process took about a month from start to finish. Took it back to aaa approved facility who put in on the computer and found various codes p0300, p0732, p1599, p0732, p1599. The mileage on this car is 37,134. I bought it new in 2000. Called saturn in stevens creek, was told that I needed to bring it to a saturn dealership. Explained to them that the nearest one is approx. 2 hours from where I live and I was not comfortable driving a car with transmission problems that distance.(2nd into 3rd gear was now very rough shifting). Was told that was the only option. This is my only car so this was not an option at all. Checked around this area to find someone to fix it. Aamco will no longer repair transmissions in saturn cars because they are so unreliable. Found a repair shop through word of mouth who said they will fix it for $1,700.00. They did research and found a bulletin (# 00-t-24) which deals exactly with this problem and suggests how to fix it. In the bulletin (of which I have a copy) it states "this condition may be caused by an improperly machined surface finish on the area of the input shaft hub where the seals ride. Improper surface finish on the input shaft hub allows cross leakage between the 1st and 2nd/ rev clutches". This is the fault of saturn and they should pay for any repairs. In addition to the $1,700.00 for repairs, I am having to rent an economy car for a week at a cost of $163.58. Again, this car has only 37,134 miles on it.
Reverse gear had been acting funny (not going into reverse and allowing the car to slide forward before grabbing). Grinding sound was noted, took car into aaa approved facility, they could not find anything wrong. Finally reverse gear just quit (as I was trying to parallel park) and "service engine soon" light came on. This whole process took about a month from start to finish. Took it back to aaa approved facility who put in on the computer and found various codes p0300, p0732, p1599, p0732, p1599. The mileage on this car is 37,134. I bought it new in 2000. Called saturn in stevens creek, was told that I needed to bring it to a saturn dealership. Explained to them that the nearest one is approx. 2 hours from where I live and I was not comfortable driving a car with transmission problems that distance.(2nd into 3rd gear was now very rough shifting). Was told that was the only option. This is my only car so this was not an option at all. Checked around this area to find someone to fix it. Aamco will no longer repair transmissions in saturn cars because they are so unreliable. Found a repair shop through word of mouth who said they will fix it for $1,700.00. They did research and found a bulletin (# 00-t-24) which deals exactly with this problem and suggests how to fix it. In the bulletin (of which I have a copy) it states "this condition may be caused by an improperly machined surface finish on the area of the input shaft hub where the seals ride. Improper surface finish on the input shaft hub allows cross leakage between the 1st and 2nd/ rev clutches". This is the fault of saturn and they should pay for any repairs. In addition to the $1,700.00 for repairs, I am having to rent an economy car for a week at a cost of $163.58. Again, this car has only 37,134 miles on it.
Transmission had to be rebuilt at 30,000 miles, would grind when shifting to 2nd gear when cold. This was done under warranty. The car now has 62,000 miles and sometimes grinds, I am afraid it is going out again.
Manual transmission pops out of gear and grinds. Sometimes you can't get it into gear. All componets of the clutch are fine.
The axle squeaked while the vehicle was in motion.*jb. Front left axle has been replaced, but noise continued. Consumer took vehicle to another dealer where the technician located the problem-axle seals. Technician replaced both axle seals, and problem has been solved.
A grinding sound would apperar when making a turn while driving. Dealer contacted, and replaced steering column.
Engine would make a grinding sound after driving it for a while. Dealer contacted. Feel free to provide any further information.
When applying brakes pedal felt spongy, and there was extended stoppping distance. Vehicle was examined by dealer, who stated brakes were in working order.*ak consumer stated the brakes would grind and squeak.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. These vehicles do not comply with requirements of fmvss no. 135, "passenger car brake systems." these vehicles were produced with brake pipe attachment nuts that may not be tightened to specifications.
- Risk
- If the brake pipe nuts are not properly tightened, brake fluid leakage could occur, increasing the brake's stopping distance.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the brake pipe nuts for leakage, verify they are tightened to specifications, and replace the brake pipes if needed.
Recall number 99V231000 · Recall details
Questions about the Saturn SL grinding brakes
Which Saturn SL years have grinding or squealing brakes problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1996 (5 complaints), 2000 (5 complaints) and 1999 (4 complaints).
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